Engine starting apparatus



March 14, 1939.

INVENTOR. Jose/off M //en llll Illllliimlliil J. W. ALLEN ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Filed June 1s, 1935 TT'oRN ,Patented Mer, 14, 1939 PATENT oFF-Ici:

, 2,150,594 ENGINE s'ran'rmc APPARATUS Joseph w. Eclipse Allen, East Orange, N. J., assigner to Aviation Corporation, East Orange,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 18, 1935, Serial No. 27,270

,ZCIaims- This invention relates to engine starting apparatus and more particularly to power means for cranking internal combustion engines.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a novel electric' started that is symmetrical in form, and embodying means for rotating the engine engaging member at a much lower speed than that of the armature shaft ofthe motor.

' Another object is to provide means for rotating the engine engaging member through the instrumentality of a shaft extending through the armature shaft ofthe motor.

These and other objects and advantages `to be derived from the use of the invention herein disclosed will become evident from an inspection of the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating one embodiment of the invention. It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiment is not exclusive, andvarious other embodiments will now suggest themselvesto those'A skilled inf the art, While changes may be made Vin the construction, arrangement and proportions of parts, and certain features used without a other features, without departing from the spira -of the invention. Reference is therefore to be had to the claims hereto appended for a deiinition y of the limits of the invention `In the drawing, reference characters 3, l and 5 designate the three sections of the .enclosing housing, the' sections having suitable iianges to receive bolts "6 for detachably connecting said sections. The inner section 3l is provided with a ange 'I to receive bolts 8 for securing the starter to the crank'case of an engine, a portion of the-latter being indicated at 9. Secured to the central section l i s an electric motor provided with an amature lll and pole shoes Il to receive screws l2 which may be'employedrfo detachably securing the motor to. the housing 4.

The motor may be of any suitablet'ype embodying an armature shaft I3 provided with a laterally projecting, reduced portion Il that is Ylrotataatbly mounted as by means of a suitable bearing I5 in a transverse wall of housing section 4. v

Gear constitutes a sun gear for a plurality of planetary gears 3| that are rotatably mounted on a plate 29 and mesh with an internal gear 32 which is iixedly mounted within the housing by means of screws 33. Preferably three planetary gears 3l are employed, spaced 120 apart, so-that as the view is taken in Fig. 1, one of the gears appears in elevation just below the sun gear 25, and one in section above said sun gear.

Each of the planetary gears is rotatably mounted by means of a ball bearing 3ft carried by a sleeve 35 which is ycountersunk at its inner end in barrel end 29. Extending through sleeve 35 and threaded into the barrel end 29 is a screw 36 which supports the sleeve, bearing and planetary gear. If desired a retaining ring 3l for bearings '34 may be formed integral with sleeves 35.

The plate 29 is adapted to drivean engine engaging member 38 and is in turn driven through the agency of the planetary reduction gearing described above. The member 38 constitutes one element of a jaw clutch, the other element being formed by a member 39 carried by a rotating part of the engine to be cranked, such as'the l engine crankshaftor an extension thereof.

'Normally members 38 and '39 are disengaged, the member 38 being adapted for longitudinal movement into driving engagement with member 39, preferably by spring means i6 and automatic screw means M having splined engagement with hub of clutch 38, and similar to that disclosed in Lansing Patent'No. 1,962,397, granted June 12, 1934. In order that the parts of the apparatus and particularly the reduction gearing may be made as light as possible, itis desirable to provide yielding means intermediate the train of. gearing described above and the engine engaging member 38, whereby the energy stored in the motor armature is ineiective to .damage said gearing when the clutch member 38 suddenly engages the stationary engine member 39. `For this .purpose there is preferably Aemployed a multiple disk clutch embodying a plu-- rality of friction disks 40 held engaged by pre-set springs 42, a number of said disks being splined tcl the inner surface of a barrel 28 integral with plate 29, and the remainder being splined tothe outer surface of an interlorly threaded nut 4I, corresponding to the nut 41 o f the Lansing Patent No. 1,962,397.

.As in the said Lansing patent, the starter is preferably provided .with oil sealing means for preventingv oil in the engine crankcase 9 -irom seeping into the starter housing. For this pur pose there'is tted over the inner end of the starter a cup-shaped erably formed of,metal and is ,provided with a Iiange 49 on the outer end thereof, said ange being adapted to beclamped between flange 1 of the starter housing and the engine crankcase. The automatic meshing is facilitated by provision of a circular resilient member, such as a coil spring 58 which rests in an annular groove member 49 that `ispreisources, namely, motor I or a manually operable shaft 26; and in each case the driving connections to the said gear train include a connecting shaft 6| passing centrally through the armature shaft I3 but with sunicient clearance to be readily rotatable relatively thereto, and terminating in the plane of the barrel end 29 to which it imparts rotation by reason of the positive connection to the planetary gear set constituted by suitable key means 63 drivably engaging a longitudinally extending groove or key-way formed along the inner surface of the sun gear 25. The opposite end of the shaft 6| is also grooved or splined to receive the correspondingly splined hub 64 of a bevel gear 65 adapted to mesh with the bevel pinion 66 formed-on theend of a shaft 61 having a positive connection 68 with the manually operable shaft or sleeve 2 6 heretofore referred.

The gear 65, by reason of the connections above described, operates to drivably connect the manually operable shaft 26 vwith the planetary gear set 3|. There will j now be described t' e means whereby this same gear 65 operates to drivably connect the amature shaft I3 with the'driven gear set 3|. As shown such means includes two additional planetary gear combinations 1| and 12, the planet members of which revolve about a common internally toothed annular track or orbit 13 held fast Within the casing section 5"' by suit.

able means including Ia ange portion 14 secured within a recess between the abutting flanges of the casing sections 4 and 5. The planet mem# bers 'I2 rotate about their mounting pins-10 secured to the gear 65 through the'instrumentality of retainer sleeves 11 with which the mounting pins threadedly engage. while the planet members 1 rotate about mounting pins 18 which are similarly secured to the periphery 19` ofv a mounting gage or spider having a hub 8| provided with teeth constituting a sun gear-82 with which the planet members 'I2 are maintained in constant mesh. A similar sun gear 85 meshes with the planets 1|- and is internally splined or grooved to engage corresponding splines 06 formed along the outer surface of the reduced portion I4 of the armature shaft I3, the gear I5 being held in position of abutment with the inner race of bearing I5 by suitable retaining means 81. A similar retaining nut 00 adjustably holds the commutator and armature Il against longitudinal displacement in one direction. while the shoulder or flange on armatureshaft I3. performs a similar function by preventing displacement in the opposite direction as well as serving in conjunction with ring 9| as a retaining means for the bearing 02, the outer race of which is constituted by a hub 93 formed on the end plate 94 which encloses the yoke 55 which receives the field coils 91 of the motor.

Inorder to prevent reverse rotation of either the manually or electrically'operating driving elements such as might occur in the event of a backfire or premature ignition inthe cylinders of the engine during cranking, means are provided between thehub E4 of gear v55 andan annular extension |0| secured to the inner surface'of the end section |02 of the casing 5. As shown, such means includes a plurality of rollers |05'mounted in depressions formed in the periphery of an annular ring |03 corresponding to the inner race of aconventional overrunning clutch and adapted 4to roll freely in said depressions while the gear 35 is rotating in one direction but capable of being wedged against the surface of the ring I0| upon reverse rotation of the vgear 65 whereupon said-ring |0I and the rollers |05 act as a positive stop to prevent any appreciable movement of said. gear 65 or the parts connected vthereto in such reverse direction. 'Ihe rollers |05 are held in position by suitable retainer rings |01 and |08, the latter beim; in turn retained on the reduced end of shaft 6I Vby the provision of the'retaining nut which also serves, in conjunction with the retainer cup I I2 to hold the bearing 3 in Y position.

Patent N0. 1,276,552 granted August 20,.'1918. *V

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with an electric motor and an engine cranking shaft extending therethrough, meansincluding reduction gearing of the plane'- tary type for drivably connecting said motor and shaft, said gearing including a planet carrier having a hub portion splinedto said shaft, and means mounted directly upon said carrier hub for locking said carrier and motor against reverse :rotation in the event of "backfire" of the engine during the cranking operation. Y

2. In combination with anelectrlc motor and an engine cranking shaft extending therethrough.

means including reduction gearing of the planetary type for drivably connecting said motor and shaft, said gearing including a planet carrier Ami 

